Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The colossal figure of the wounded Dravhark, his cries of pain echoing through the vast, empty halls, had forced an unthinkable decision upon the combined groups.

The tension was a crushing, like physical weight that bore down on every user present, a profound sense of existential dread that settled deep in their guts. The majority of the group felt a cold, paralyzing terror at the prospect of attacking a creature they had barely survived fighting only hours before. Still, a chilling rationale had taken root in their minds, assuring them that this move, insane as it seemed, was their single best option for survival.

It was a cold, hard truth that all System users who survived multiple scenarios eventually acquired: a strange, terrifying determination that allowed them to walk toward certain death without allowing the fear to fully consume them. They were no longer normal people; they were honed instruments of survival, and even here, walking into the lair of a Dragon God to attack his son, they possessed the terrifying resolve necessary to follow through on the most dangerous decision of their lives.

The group quickly and silently ordered their ranks, assigning roles based on their immediate physical location and combat specialty, but the chaos of the moment allowed no time for the formation of a true, detailed strategy.

Drake turned toward alter Drake and Adam, his voice lowered to a strained whisper as he looked for guidance. He was clinging to the desperate hope that Adam had formulated some impossible strategy or held a specific plan for this monstrous situation. Alter Drake merely shrugged, a subtle, dismissive roll of his shoulders that spoke volumes of his cynicism.

"There is no plan."

Alter Drake whispered, his voice dry and flat. Adam offered an equally terse, unvarnished assessment.

"The uncertainty regarding Dravhark's current capabilities is too great. It is illogical to pretend we can construct any meaningful strategy beyond simply utilizing our most potent attacks from the outset... We must overwhelm him before he can react."

The bald lack of a complex plan was terrifying, yet the logical necessity of the action resonated with every user. Adam, however, did not stop there; his gaze shifted, cutting through the profound gloom to find Samantha, who had remained quiet the whole time.

"Samantha, do you have anything you can prepare?"

Adam whispered, his tone with a bit of urgency.

"Something that can aid us in the thick of the fight?"

Samantha, startled by the sudden call to action, quickly began to think, her expression shifting from surprise to concentration.

"Hmm… Yes."

Samantha replied, her voice soft but certain.

"There is something I created relatively recently that could help, or at least I think so."

She immediately invoked a large, heavily patched leather backpack that materialized with a soft thump directly in front of her. The backpack was clearly an interdimensional storage artifact, similar in function but vastly different in form from Drake's metallic watch. She began to rummage frantically through its contents, disappearing halfway into the opening of the bag as she dug deep into the spatial void of the inventory, demonstrating that the object was indeed far larger on the inside than its exterior suggested.

After a tense, agonizing moment, she finally withdrew, her arms full of several thick, heavy glass jars that were filled with various brightly colored gummy candies. She quickly opened the jars and poured a handful of the strange concoctions into her palm, holding them out for the others to see. Despite their eyes having grown accustomed to the deep darkness of the stone palace, the light was still too dim, and they had to press close together, huddling over her hand to make out the details of the colored candies. Adam himself was unable to glean any System information from the objects, as his [Cursed Vision] required a certain level of clear vision to fully activate and analyze.

Samantha explained the special property of the peculiar sweets.

"These gummies possess a unique property: they can copy and store an active skill from any user. You simply have to concentrate on the desired ability, and it will be instantly stored. Once you consume the gummy, you will be able to instantly activate the stored skill automatically, without consuming any additional resources, even if that skill normally uses immense amounts of stamina or energy."

She quickly began distributing one gummy to every user present, ensuring no one was left out. Adam, taking the candy, immediately pressed Samantha for more details.

"Is it possible for these gummies to store anything beyond a skill?"

Samantha quickly nodded.

"Well, technically, they can also store Plot Devices, but that process doesn't copy; it directly stores it inside the candy, and since using Plot Devices doesn't consume energy, it's far easier to simply use them directly rather than store them in a gummy."

Adam received the answer with a thoughtful, dry nod, taking the gummy and carefully placing it aside. The Empress, who was keenly aware of every thought and decision the boy made, immediately used the shared vocal cords to demand an answer.

"Do you have something planned?"

The Empress asked, her voice an echo of Adam's own, yet colder and more demanding. The boy returned control of his lips, his voice dry and devoid of excitement.

"I am considering the options."

He briefly twirled the small, colored candy between his fingers, thinking about it for a bit, before finally placing it into one of his jacket pockets. The rest of the group, with no time for lengthy deliberation, simply accepted the candy and used the momentary pause to focus on the single best skill they possessed before putting the candies in their own pockets.

Just as the last gummy was consumed, Emir approached Adam with a little hesitation that was entirely uncharacteristic of him after all the things they had passed together as a team. The boy timidly tugged lightly on the sleeve of Adam's jacket to gain his attention.

Adam turned, his face softening with a touch of genuine kindness that he rarely showed.

"What do you need, Emir?"

He asked softly. Emir looked up at him, his small face filled with intense determination, and he spoke in a low, earnest whisper.

"Could I ask you to use my gummy to copy a specific skill and then give it back to me, please?"

Adam's surprise was immediate, and before he could fully process the request, Samantha, who had been listening intently to the hushed exchange, quickly intervened.

"Hey, be careful."

She warned, her voice firm with concern.

"Even though the stored skills do not consume energy when used, they still require the user to meet the prerequisites. If you store a skill that breathes fire, for example, and you don't have the proper affinity, you risk burning your mouth and throat because your body isn't built for that."

The warning struck Adam with the cold weight of such information, instantly confirming a flaw he himself would have missed. It followed the exact, unyielding logic of the System's own store: skills were useless and even dangerous if the body could not physically handle them.

Emir shook his head, his small shoulders set with determination.

"It doesn't matter. I was thinking of a basic skill, could you please copy…"

After hearing his request, Adam simply nodded, a silent acknowledgment of the boy's will, and, without further discussion, he took the gummy from Emir's small hand.

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Finally, with all users prepared and armed with the immense advantage of a single, free skill, the group began to advance, guided by the continuous, agonizing cries of Dravhark. They navigated several more gigantic corridors until they reached the massive intersection where they had first seen the dragon's dark silhouette pass.

Dravhark was still there, a colossal, terrifying sight, still launching curses and shaking his massive head in agony. Even in the gloom of the palace, everyone could clearly see the damage that had been done to him: both of his massive front legs were fully regenerated, and the hole in his chest had also vanished, but this was not what held their attention. The entire right side of his face was scarred by four raw, glowing crimson cuts that pulsated like iron-hot open wounds, nullifying his right eye and illuminating a bit of the cavern with a terrible, pulsing red light. It was the undeniable brand of his father, the Dragon God Vharzun, a mark that refused to heal and caused permanent, debilitating pain.

Dravhark was clearly not operating with his usual focus, as he still had not noticed their presence despite their close proximity.

Alter Drake immediately made complex, silent hand gestures to his team, a series of rapid signs that ordered them to prepare for an immediate assault. Drake quickly followed suit with his own team, confirming the silent, unified decision: the melee combatants would move as one, while the ranged attackers and support would maintain a safe distance. All users nodded, their faces grim but resolute, and with a shared surge of pure, desperate energy, the battle began, the teams launching themselves against the wounded dragon without wasting a single second.

Alter Drake was the first to move, his white sacred plate armor from his [Celestial Knight] class snapping into existence, followed by a pair of massive, radiant white wings and his massive, glowing legendary sacred mace. The armor and weapon were brilliantly white, yet even their immense, holy luminescence failed to fully pierce the darkness, a chilling indication that the gloom surrounding them was far more supernatural than merely a lack of light.

Close behind him, Drake activated his own devastating power, the two gigantic jade swords snapping to attention, one held in each hand, followed by the terrifying sight of his [Holy Wings Manifestation] forming a pair of luminous, tentacular wings that propelled him forward with incredible velocity.

Both Drakes were the first to make contact before Dravhark could even react to the sudden, chaotic movement. Alter Drake's sacred mace impacted the gigantic head of the dragon with a catastrophic force, the blow snapping the dragon's head sideways and shattering a pair of its massive, obsidian teeth. Simultaneously, Drake delivered a precise double-cut in the form of a brilliant 'X' with his two jade swords. The blades, combined with the profound wounding effects of his [Dragon Slayer] subclass, cleaved a deep, profound gash into the dragon's skull, causing Dravhark to roar not only in pain, but in sheer, agonizing surprise at the mortal's presence.

Without granting the wounded dragon a single moment to process the sudden, overwhelming assault, Katya and Charles shot past the Drakes, their physical capabilities immensely enhanced by the synchronized [Physica Naguru] spells cast by Li and alter Li, pushing their speed and strength to the absolute limit.

Katya, moving like a flash of lightning, swung her living, bone-serrated scythe in a monstrous, powerful arc, aiming directly for the dragon's thick neck. The strike landed with a sickening *thud*, incredibly managing to wound the creature deeply, the cursed energy of her weapon tearing through the damaged flesh. Charles instantly followed, his katana imbued with a concentrated, searing fire-like energy, the blade accompanying Katya's cut and driving the wound even deeper into the dragon's neck.

But the assault did not end there. Immediately behind them came Adam, who had swiftly invoked the deadly [Az'Karul's Versebreaker Spear], seizing the opportunity while Malzaphir remained passively absent, and Solène, whose arms had transformed into thick, monstrous dragon claws.

They launched their attacks simultaneously at the dragon's remaining limbs. Adam drove a powerful, precise thrust of his spear into Dravhark's right front claw, while Solène tore savagely at the dragon's left front leg with her massive, crimson claws. The coordinated assault successfully immobilized Dravhark's two remaining front limbs, exactly as they had managed to do during their previous fight.

Dravhark finally erupted in a roar of absolute fury, wounded but now far more enraged than before. His surviving eye instantly registered the sight of the tiny, wretched humans who were the singular cause of all his recent suffering.

He screamed his rage, his voice a guttural explosion of power.

"I will rip the flesh from your bones, you cursed mortals!"

He bellowed his outrage, the sound echoing the ultimate heresy of their presence.

"How dare you defile the sacred grounds of my Father's Palace with your wretched presence! I swear I will..."

However, his final curse was severed mid-sentence, interrupted by a sudden, devastating barrage of ranged attacks: an arrow covered in ancient energy from Arion, a javelin made of concentrated light from alter Kazue, and multiple bursts of gunfire from Teo and Gregor, their rounds consisting of sacred bullets and concentrated demonic energy, all impacting directly on the dragon's remaining left eye. The four were the long-distance attackers, and their combined fire had managed to find its mark even with the severely limited visibility.

The attacks continued in a devastating, relentless storm; all the combatants who had landed the initial blows—the Drakes, Katya, Charles, Adam, and Solène—re-engaged immediately, launching a wave of continuous attacks that drove the accumulated damage to unsustainable levels, and Dravhark found himself completely unable to defend, his massive body constantly blocked and battered by the relentless, coordinated assault. Alter Drake roared the vital information, his voice filled with adrenaline.

"He cannot use his annulment skill! We must use everything we have, now!"

Dravhark roared, cursing his weakened state. He truly did not possess even half of his normal power in that moment, and the excruciating, permanent pain from his father's mark was a constant, debilitating distraction that slowed his movements and rendered his colossal body clumsy and dull.

He fought desperately, his roars echoing his agony, but he was unable to land a single defensive blow, especially with his front limbs destroyed by the combined attacks of Adam and Solène. Everything was going perfectly for the users; the damage was mounting, and the end was only a matter of time. The melee combatants prepared for one final, concentrated push, intending to end the battle with a single, synchronized blow. However, as they lunged forward, poised for the finishing strike, Dravhark let out one final, terrible cry.

"Damm you!"

The dragon screamed, his voice strained and raw, and a visible spark of fire erupted in his enormous maw. But instead of releasing a massive, cleansing torrent of cursed fire, which Adam was ready to consume, the dragon violently snapped his gigantic jaws shut, causing the blinding spark to detonate… It was the worst possible counterattack: though it was not a damaging skill, the resulting flash was so intense, so incredibly powerful, that it instantly illuminated the entire, cavernous hall.

This sudden, catastrophic burst of light immediately subjected every single user to severe, instantaneous blindness, as their eyes, which had been painstakingly adjusted to the absolute darkness, suffered a shock that was equivalent to a physical stab. Many screamed in raw pain, clutching their eyes, especially Arion, whose elven sight was naturally more sensitive and had reacted as if his very eyes had been pierced with a burning dagger. All those who were fighting the dragon were immediately rendered utterly helpless, thrown into a state of total, agonizing disorientation. No one could even see the System message that instantly materialized before their eyes.

The result was the absolute worst-case scenario. Adam, whose formidable [Mental Resistance] allowed him to suppress the [Mental Shock] debuff, was nonetheless completely blind, and his lack of sight negated any advantage he had. He desperately tried to communicate with the Empress, screaming for guidance, but the answer came in his own frustrated voice, as if Adam were talking to himself.

"I cannot see anything either! We share the body, you idiot!"

The Empress immediately demanded that he act, but Adam knew that action was futile in such circumstances. He struggled desperately to formulate a solution, but he was utterly helpless in that state. It was in that moment of blind panic that Dravhark's furious voice echoed through the halls once more.

"Enough humiliation! I will sweep you from this world and crush your ashes even if it is the last thing I do!"

Dravhark, despite his severe injuries and agonizingly slow regeneration, began to rapidly charge an enormous quantity of energy in his massive jaws, preparing to flood the entire space with his destructive fire.

It was the moment of complete, inevitable defeat; Adam knew he could consume the dragon's fire, but only if he could see where it was coming from. It would be impossible to intercept the attack blindly without first harming his own teammates. Adam clenched his jaw, determined to move, sightless, to intercept the massive blast before it could hit the others; somehow, he needed to do it... However, only a few desperate steps later, he felt two enormous energy flashes detonate close to his position. He spun instinctively, desperately trying to locate the source of the sudden power surge, but it was impossible due to the blindness.

A moment later, Kazue's bright, sonorous, and utterly joyful laughter rang out through the vast palace, followed by a sudden, deep, robotic voice that broke the silence.

"User: King of Monsters - Access Granted."

No one, paralyzed and blind as they were, could see the two System windows that materialized in the air at that very moment: